3 Questions for Jeremy Piven

Jeremy Piven shot to fame as fast-talking, hard-driving super-agent Ari Gold, whom fans loved to hate in Entourage, so his newest project is quite a change of pace. In The Performance, based on a story by Arthur Miller, Piven plays a tap dancer in Nazi Germany whose future may rest on his appearance in a show attended by Hitler. His drive for money and adulation collides with his struggle over whether to hide his Jewish identity. Piven faced his own 14-year-struggle to bring the film to the screen with his sister Shira, who co-wrote and directed. Piven’s portrayal of a man torn by fear and doubt over the morality of his decision is one of his best.

Meanwhile, Piven’s gig as a stand-up comedian has kept him on the road when he isn’t in front of a camera. And with help from pals like Jerry Seinfeld, he’s learned how to control a crowd and not to lose the joy to hecklers.

Jeanne Wolf: After over a decade of struggle, you’ve completed your passion project. Did you ever lose hope?

Jeremy Piven: Giving up on The Performance would be like giving up my dream because it represents so much to me — the possibility of doing my best work as an actor while telling a story that I think is going to make people question a lot of things. I think this movie will inspire conversations where we can all hear each other out. No matter where you’re coming from, if you’re at a place where you’re open to hearing someone else’s view and maybe even having your mind changed, that could be life-changing. I think the lessons of the Holocaust must be a cautionary tale for all of us, and not just for Jews. “Never again” is never again for any group.

As for the tap dancing, I just thought “I’ll learn, and we’ll do the movie.” Well, 14 years went by, and I never stopped practicing, and I did get better at tap dancing. Getting this film made was an interesting lesson in not giving up.

JW: You had a huge taste of fame with Ari Gold, but fans could be tough with you.

JP: It used to offend me. They would scream terrible insults and obscenities. And then you realize, “My God, they really think I’m Ari,” which is kind of exciting for an actor. But I wasn’t drawing on my own experience. I won the Fresh Face of the Year Award at 40 years old. I said, “There’s nothing fresh about my face, but thank you.” I guess you could call me a late bloomer, but maybe that was the way I was meant to bloom.

JW: Stand-up comedy is notoriously tough. Yet you are doing well traveling the country with your bag of jokes.

JP: Someone said to me that stand-up comedy will make you a better actor. And I thought, how is that even possible? But you perform every night and somehow when you act again you have no rust on you, so maybe it’s true. I get some hecklers, and I’ve had to learn to keep going when people don’t laugh. You’ve got to be ready for this live audience that is always full of surprises. And if you’re bombing, not getting laughs, you stay in the game, and it makes you better.

Looking back, I realize as an actor you can search for people to understand you and see your range while you’re railing against the universe for being misunderstood. Or you can go out there and find something you believe in and never give up. I got that from my mother, who taught me how to act and how to be tenacious.

—Jeanne Wolf is the Post’s West Coast editor

This article is featured in the January/February 2025 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.